Two Samples: Estimating the

Difference Between two

Means
u1-u2 is unknown ; 12 = 22 but unkown

The article Macroinvertebrate Community Structure

as an Indicator of Acid Mine Pollution, published in
the Journal of Environmental Pollution, reports on an
investigation undertaken in Cane Creek, Alabama, to
determine the relationship between selected
physiochemical parameters and dierent measures
of macroinvertebrate community structure. One facet
of the investigation was an evaluation of the
eectiveness of a numerical species diversity index
to indicate aquatic degradation due to acid mine
drainage.
Conceptually,
a
high
index
of
macroinvertebrate species diversity should indicate
an unstressed aquatic system, while a low diversity
index should indicate a stressed aquatic system.

Two independent sampling stations were chosen for

this study, one located downstream from the acid
mine discharge point and the other located
upstream. For 12 monthly samples collected at the
downstream station, the species diversity index had
a mean value x1 =3 .11 and a standard deviation
s1 =0 .771, while 10 monthly samples collected at
the upstream station had a mean index value x2
=2 .04 and a standard deviation s2 =0 .448. Find a
90% condence interval for the dierence between
the population means for the two locations,
assuming that the populations are approximately
normally distributed with equal variances.

Two Samples: Estimating the

Difference Between two
Means
UNEQUAL VARIANCES

We intend to find interval estimate

1- 2.

1- 2 (unknown)
12 22 (Unequal variance)

The statistic most often used in

this case.

and (sample means)

s1and s2 (sample standard deviations)
n1and n2 (two sets of data of size
respectively)

T-distribution with degrees of

freedom

Note : is seldom an integer so we round it

down to the nearest whole number.
Ex.
=13.2 13

Approximate condence
interval for 1- 2

A study was conducted by the Department of

Zoology at the Virginia Tech to estimate the dierence in the
amounts of the chemical orthophosphorus measured at two
dierent stations on the James River. Orthophosphorus was
measured in milligrams per liter. Fifteen samples were
collected from station 1, and 12 samples were obtained from
station 2. The 15 samples from station 1 had an average
orthophosphorus content of 3.84 milligrams per liter and
a standard deviation of 3.07 milligrams per liter, while
the 12 samples from station 2 had an average content of
1.49 milligrams per liter and a standard deviation of 0.80
milligram per liter. Find a 95% confidence interval for
the dierence in the true average orthophosphorus contents
at these two stations, assuming that the observations came
from normal populations with dierent variances.

Denition 8.5

Denition 8.6

Two Samples: Estimating the

Difference Between two
Means
Paired Distribution

A study published in Chemosphere

reported the levels of the dioxin TCDD of
20 Massachusetts Vietnam veterans who
were possibly exposed to Agent Orange.
The TCDD levels in plasma and in fat tissue
are listed in Table 9.1. Find a 95%
condence interval for 1 2, where 1
and 2 represent the true mean TCDD
levels in plasma and in fat tissue,
respectively. Assume the distribution of the
dierences to be approximately normal.